Erica's Ed-Ventures

First Grade Fall Ideas

2017-10-24T20:35:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! Sorry, I have been MIA with blogging, I am really struggling to find balance. Teaching first grade full time, trying to stay healthy/go to the gym, and some positive happenings in my personal life have kept me super busy! All good things though.

Anyway, I am here with some freebies and fall ideas for you. My friends at Go Teach! sent me some really cool teacher goodies and I have loved using them in the classroom. I am showcasing some of my favorites by Mr. Sketch and Paper Mate in this post. I hope you feel inspired to try some of the products out.

Anchor charts are great visual reminders for students. They should be accessible in the classroom for student reference. Your students will find them more meaningful if make them with them. You don't have to have the students draw them for you, but you can have the students tell you what to add to the chart. In the beginning of the year, I like to make an anchor chart to model what good coloring looks like. I think it is a good idea to model expectations for almost everything you do in school.

I love using these Mr. Sketch Scented Gel Crayons along with Mr. Sketch Markers for Anchor Charts. The Mr. Sketch Gel Crayons color so smoothly and smell delicious! You can click the images to check them out through my Amazon link.

Here is a quick video of the Mr. Sketch Scented Gel Crayons at work:

Here is another example of a simple anchor chart made using Mr. Sketch markers. This anchor chart is still up because we still need to work on keeping our desks neat. I have a feeling it will be up all year long.

Speaking of modeling, one of my favorite things to do with my students is directed drawings. Directed Drawings are a calming activity and help my students focus. They also love them! You can check out my Pinterest board for directed drawings ideas.

We made this fall display using Scarecrow Directed Drawings, Mr. Sketch products, and fall themed freebies!

The Scarecrow Directed Drawing activity is by First Grade Blue Skies and is a freebie that I use every year.

You can find the fall themed banner freebie in my TpT store by clicking the link below:

My sample served as a model for the students. I showed them how to make decorative patterns inside the letters and to trace things in skinny Mr. Sketch markers to make the details pop.

The scarecrow graph is a product in my TpT store.

Here are some of my favorite fall read alouds. You can click the covers to check out the books on Amazon through my sponsored links.

And here are a few fall themed freebies for you, click the images.

You can find more ideas and join the Go teach! Community on Facebook by clicking {HERE}. Go teach! is the new incredibly loud and proud community with project ideas, resources, classroom tips, giveaways and more to inspire and help teachers. Brought to you by teacher fan favorites such as Elmer's, EXPO, Sharpie, Mr. Sketch, Paper Mate, Prismacolor, DYMO, and X-ACTO.

Before I go, I wanted to share these Paper Mate Inkjoy Gel pens. I loved the sample gel pens that I was sent so much so, that I ordered another package of them from Amazon. Seriously, these are the best gel pens I have ever owned. I shared them on my fb page and everyone who has tried them agreed.

*Thank you to Go Teach! for sponsoring this blog post. All opinions are my own. I received compensation and free products in exchange for writing this post. This post also contains sponsored links. I only support brands and products that I use and that I believe in.

Thanks for stopping by and happy fall!

As always feel free to pin:

Farmhouse Style Classroom Freebies and Updates!

2017-08-21T21:03:00.001-04:00

I am back with some Farmhouse Freebies just in time for back to school!

Last year, I started changing my classroom over to my Farmhouse theme. You see all the photos {HERE}. Slowly, I have been creating more farmhouse style packets to go with the theme. This post contains some awesome freebies and links for my latest resources. As always, feel free to pin. I have included tall, pinnable images at the bottom of this post.

Disclaimer: This post contains sponsored links for the Target items.

Free Back to School Student Gift Tags

I love to give my students something to play with on the first day of school while they wait to unpack. The Target party section is a great spot to find items. I found these suction cup balls and mazes there last week. I made tags for them (I realized after I photographed them that that I forgot the "a," I updated the file and will have to rephotograph) and placed them in clear party favor bags, also from Target. You can grab these tags for free by signing up for my email list. Don't worry, I won't spam you. I can barely keep up with blogging and teaching full time!

Free Water Bottle Gift Tags

When it is meet the teacher night, I like to leave a water bottle on each desk for the parents. I have this free tag for you.

New Farmhouse Items

I just made the above display for Meet the Teacher night. You can check it out on TpT by clicking {HERE}.

Bathroom Passes

I updated my Farmhouse Bathroom Passes to include diverse clip art. You can redownload if you have already purchased the bathroom passes. I put twine on the tops of the passes so that the students won't be able to pump out too much sanitizer. I use the Purell sanitzer from Target because the labels peel off easily. If you are interested in them, click {HERE}.

Also, new to my store are the Farmhouse Inspirational Quotes Posters above.

Colored Pencil Organization

Colored pencil organization was a disaster last school year. My solution:

I found the above caddy at HomeGoods and filled it with the small mason jars and colored pencils (only 97 cents) from Target!

I will be updating my General Information Packet with a Farmhouse Cover and be finishing up a Meet the Teacher Night Slide Show. Both will be available in my TpT store, so be sure to follow my store for updates!

You will receive everything I ever make Farmhouse by purchasing my Farmhouse Decor Bundle!

Here are some pinnable images for you!

Thanks for stopping by!

Wonderful Words of the Week: A Complement to the First Grade Wonders Reading Series

2017-08-01T10:38:00.003-04:00

This past school year our district adopted the Wonders Reading series for grades K-5. That means we had to scrap our First Grade Words of the Week phonics program. I was not a happy camper. To make the transition a bit smoother, Janine Every and I created the Wonderful Words of the Week packet that you are reading about now. We utilize the activities from this packet for morning job and center work. You could also use these pages for early finishers, word work, and for homework. We took the spelling words and high frequency words from the Wonders series to create our word lists. The word lists start with 10 words (Smart Start Week 1, Smart Start Week 2, Smart Start Week 3, Unit 1 Week 1, and Unit 1 Week 2) and then they go up to 12 words for the rest of the Units.

You can click and download the preview file on TpT to get Unit 1, Week 1 to try for FREE. We have also included the Word Lists for all six units and Smart Start in the preview file.

Each week includes the following activities, which can be used as literacy centers, morning work, word work, early finisher work, or homework.

· Flash Cards

· Word Search

· Sentence Unscramble (three different ones each week, two to a page)

· Word Unscramble

· Say It – Trace It – Stamp It (two pages)

· Cootie Catcher

· Spin a Word (two pages)

· Tiny Word Search

· Search-Read-Write the Room (three pages)

This is currently a growing bundle. The other units are done, we just need to proof before posting and we did not want you to miss out on the TpT sale. The price will go up with each unit we add to the packet.

Included so far:

· Smart Start Week One – High Frequency Words

· Smart Start Week Two – High Frequency Words

· Smart Start Week Three – High Frequency Words

· Unit One, Week One – Short a and High Frequency Words

· Unit One, Week Two – Short I and High Frequency Words

· Unit One, Week Three – L Blends and High Frequency Words

· Unit One, Week Four – Short o and High Frequency Words

· Unit One, Week Five – R Blends, S Blends, and High Frequency Words

Coming Soon!

· Unit Two, Week One – Short e and High Frequency Words

· Unit Two, Week Two – Short u and High Frequency Words

· Unit Two, Week Three – Ending Consonant Blends and High Frequency Words

· Unit Two, Week Four– Consonant Digraphs and High Frequency Words

· Unit Two, Week Five –Consonant Digraphs and High Frequency Words

· Unit Three, Week One–Long a (a_e) and High Frequency Words

· Unit Three, Week Two –Long i (i_e) and High Frequency Words

· Unit Three, Week Three –Soft c, Soft g, and High Frequency Words

· Unit Three, Week Four –Long o (o_e), Long u (u_e), and High Frequency Words

· Unit Three, Week Five –Vowel Variants (oo) and High Frequency Words

· Unit Four, Week One –Long a (a, ai, and ay) and High Frequency Words

· Unit Four, Week Two –Long e (e, ee, and ea) and High Frequency Words

· Unit Four, Week Three –Long o (o, oa, ow, and oe) and High Frequency Words

· Unit Four, Week Four –Long i (I, y, igh, and ie) and High Frequency Words

· Unit Four, Week Five –Long e (y and ey) and High Frequency Words

· Unit Five, Week One – R-controlled Vowels (–ar) and High Frequency Words

· Unit Five, Week Two – R-controlled Vowels (–er, -ir, and -ur) and High Frequency Words

· Unit Five, Week Three – R-controlled Vowels (–or, -ore, and -oar) and High Frequency Words

· Unit Five, Week Four – Diphthongs (ou and ow) and High Frequency Words

· Unit Five, Week Five – Diphthongs (oi and oy) and High Frequency Words

· Unit Six, Week One – Variant Vowels (oo, u, u_e, ew, ue, ui, and ou) and High Frequency Words

· Unit Six, Week Two– Variant Vowels (au and aw) and High Frequency Words

· Unit Six, Week Three – Silent Letters (wr, kn, and gn) and High Frequency Words

· Unit Six, Week Four– Three Letter Blends (scr, spl, spr, str, and thr) and High Frequency Words

· Unit Six, Week Five – R-Controlled Vowels (air, are, and ear) and High Frequency Words

Feel free to ask any questions. If you purchase this file we ask that you not share this file with colleagues. Our terms of use are for one classroom use only. Districts are encouraged to purchase multi-user licenses. For more on district purchases, click {HERE} to go to the TpT blog.

As always, feel free to pin this post.

Happy Teaching!

-Erica Bohrer & Janine Every

Glitter Slime: Three Ingredients and Kid Safe

2017-07-25T15:12:00.003-04:00

Want something fun and safe to do with your kiddos this summer or with your students when you get back to school? Why not try some no mess glitter slime!? I tried it out this summer with my friends' children. It was an absolute hit.

This recipe contains no Borax and is kid safe. You will need Elmer's Glitter Glue, contact lens solution, and baking soda.

The Elmer's Glitter Glue is the key ingredient. It already has the glitter and color in it, so there is no need to add messy food coloring or glitter. Your custodian will thank you! All my ingredients were purchased at Target and can be found easily at other stores.

You will need two containers of Elmer's Glitter Glue. They come in a variety of colors. I picked two of the same color but it might be cool to mix the pink and blue and see if it makes purple.

You will need 1 Tablespoon of Baking Soda.

You will need 3 to 4 Tablespoons of Contact Lens solution.

Glitter Slime Recipe

Ingredients:

Two Bottles of Elmer's Glitter Glue
1 Tablespoon of Baking Soda
3-4 Tablespoons of Contact Lens Solution

Directions:

Pour the two bottles of Elmer's Glitter Glue into a bowl.
Add one tablespoon of baking soda.
Add three tablespoons of contact lens solution.
Stir the mixture.
If the mixture still seems loose, add another tablespoon of contact lens solution.
Mix the mixture using your hands. If the mixture sticks to hands, use contact lens solution to help get it off.
Let kids play with slime. Keep slime in a sealed bag or container when not in use.

Follow Up Activity - Slime Recording Sheet:

Click the image above to download the sheet from TpT.

If you want a little more accountability or perhaps any easy way to introduce "How To" writing, utilize the free "How to Make Slime" recording sheet I have for free in my TpT store.

I used PRISMACOLOR pencils to color in the title and draw the picture. These pencils are of amazing quality. From now on, I am going to use these beauties to draw my samples and decorate my banners.

I used Mr. Sketch Scented Crayons to color in the illustration. These are the coolest crayons ever!!! I cannot wait to put these scented crayons in the spelling center!

*Thank you to Go Teach! for sponsoring this blog post. All opinions are my own. I received compensation and free products in exchange for writing this post. I only support brands and products that I use and that I believe in.

**Thank you to Morgan and Gavin for being my models. They were compensated with Glitter Slime for this post.

As always, feel free to pin!

My Favorite Teaching Uniform...And It's On Sale!

2017-07-21T12:53:00.001-04:00

My favorite teaching uniform is on sale! I jokingly call it a uniform because it gets me through the fall, winter, and spring and I have it in multiple color combos. It is comfy and hides everything I want hidden. Let's get real here, your behind and front should not be seen while wearing leggings unless you are at the gym and this legging/tunic combo hides it all. Leggings are my favorite pants but I wear them responsibly. As a petite girl, I don't want to spend the money to have everything hemmed. Leggings, even ones that are too long on me, can be easily folded and hidden in boots.

Here are the Nordstrom Anniversary sale sources for my "teacher uniform." I am not currently an affiliate for Nordstrom, so I am honestly sharing and putting this blog post out there because I don't want you to miss out on the deals. I make zero dollars through the Nordstrom links.

These leggings are by Zella and they hold everything in. I love me some LuLaRoe but the one size fits all does not offer me any support and they are a bit too sheer and cool in the winter. These Zella Live In leggings are amazing (I am wearing an xs). They hold up so well in the wash and suck everything in and are still very comfortable. You can snag them on sale {HERE}. They run true to size and are a bit long on me but I tuck them in my boots.

This Lush Roll Tab Sleeve Tunic comes in so many color combos. I am trying to show restraint and not buy them all. I wear a size extra small. They can go from Fall to Winter to Spring. I like to layer up with a cozy cardigan in the fall. Click {HERE} to shop the tunic.

Here are some photos of me in my white one last fall:

I am a Kendra Scott addict and most of these Kendra Scott Filigree items are on sale! Snag them now, they are perfect to wear with the long tunics. Here are the links:

1. Elle Earrings

2. Rae Long Filigree Necklace

3. Cuff bracelet (Not on Sale)

4. Elisa Filigree Pendant Necklace

I also found some Jane tunics for you on sale. These are affiliate links. For full disclosure, that means I get a small percentage of the sale if you shop through my links. Just click the images to shop. I am always on the lookout for cute tunics to go with leggings and a cardigan.

Summer Ruffle Tunic - $19.99

V Neck Tunic Tee - $16.99

Oversized V-Neck Tunic - $12.99

Summer 1/2 Sleeve Tunic - $7.99

I hope you enjoyed this post. Tag me in IG @EricaBohrer if you buy anything I shared. I would love to see how they look!

Fit4School: Free Resources and More

2017-05-16T22:25:00.001-04:00

I am here to tell you about Fit4Schools, a free health activation program from Sanford Health developed with WebMD.

Fit4Schools

Empowers children and families to make healthy lifestyle choices a habit
Includes fun free resources aligned to national standards
Has weekly challenges
Focuses on the Four Key Factors of Healthy Living: Mood, Food, Recharge, & Move
Includes fitBoost: brain breaks for the classroom

The site is organized into the four Key Factors of Healthy Living: Mood, Food, Recharge, & Move

Here is a sample of their Mood lesson page, where you can find detailed lesson plans, free printables, and more:

Here is a sample of their Food lesson page, where you can find detailed lesson plans, free printables, and more:

I found these great food themed images from fit4Schools fb page:

I am a firm believer in healthy eating and always eat a fruit or veggie at snack times. The kiddos get so excited when we have the same snack. They say things like, "Oh, Miss Bohrer we are twinning! We both have apples for snack today."

Here are sample images from their Recharge section. We did the free slide show on energy level and completed the My Energy free printable recently. As with all the sections, it was easy to do, check it out below:

The battery page is a wonderful way for students to be more self-aware of their energy levels. I agree with my kiddo below, I know my energy level at home is in the red and that I need to work on getting to bed on time.

Here are sample images from their Move section, where you can lesson plans, printables and more:

One of the easiest things to do with your students is the fitBoost. Your students will love the spinning, slot machine style, activity choice combos.

I hope you check out fit4Schools for yourself and register for your free account, I did! Parents and home schoolers can register, too.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored blog post.

New Farmhouse Decor Files Posted and a Sale!

2017-05-08T19:24:00.002-04:00

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

I have added a some more Farmhouse Decor to my store since my last post about my new classroom decor. I even created a freebie for you. Plus, you can grab all the decor on sale May 9th and May 10th!

Now is the perfect time to think about revamping your classroom for next year. I cannot tell you how many complements I get on my classroom and how many teachers stop in to tell me how calming it is. I used to have polka dots and I am going to be straight with you... it was a bit over stimulating for my autistic students (I am a mainstreaming classroom). The burlap, the metal, and the black are actually perfect for me, too. All those home decor items that I buy, but have no place for, now go into my classroom. I cannot resits galvanized metal containers!

You can shop all my sale items, not just decor by clicking below.

Click on the covers to check out the packets. Click {HERE} to check out my blog post with tons of photographs of my classroom and all the included links below.

This one is a FREEBIE:

You can snag it all in this growing bundle:

Don't forget to check out these great end of the year packets, too:

Click {HERE} to shop my TpT store!

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week.

Earth Day Ideas

2017-04-22T15:04:00.001-04:00

Happy Earth Day! I started focusing on Earth Day last week and will continue to focus on Earth Day next week. Here are some of the activities we are doing.

This anchor chart is by my friend, Abby! You can check it out here:

Since my kiddos had a blast with the bunny craft, we made this Earth Day Craft.

We also did banners.

Earth Day Interactive Notebook Packet by my friend Janine:

Earth Day Graphtivity:

We made the Earth below by ripping up scraps of construction paper. I always save our scraps!

Here are some of our favorite Earth Day books:

Spring Ideas for First Grade

2017-04-03T21:57:00.001-04:00

I found this adorable bunny in glasses pop art project through Pinterest.

When you follow the pin to the website, you will see it is in French. I was still able to find the bunny template by clicking the pink writing that says "tete lapin a imprimer." You will need to go to the actual website to download the image. Click my screen shot below.

To make the eyeglasses, I just googled eyeglass outlines and printed them on bright colored paper.

I completed my display with the writing prompt freebie below!

Here is a close up image:

I hope you enjoy the freebie. Here are a few other spring themed resources for you to check out.

To see all my Spring themed resources, click {HERE}.

Thanks for stoping by!

Math Manipulatives and Webinar Resources

2017-03-22T19:45:00.000-04:00

Hopefully, you just finished watching the math manipulatives webinar my friend, Anna (Simply Skilled in Second), and I did tonight. We want to thank you for watching and for your great questions. We both thought it would be easier if we wrote blog posts with links for you to some of the resources we shared.

If you were unable to catch the webinar, you can still check out some of the resources we shared by checking out this blog post and then by hopping over to Anna's blog. Or you can register and watch it by clicking the image below. We have two freebies embedded in the actual webinar, so watch on your computer!

Our webinar focused on math maniuplatives. So why do we use manipulatives?

During our webinar, we gave many examples of manipulatives and how to use them. One simple manipulative I shared was these Hide Zero cards. You can download them from TpT by clicking the image below.

I also discussed during the webinar my favorite teacher made manipulatives...LIMA BEANS. I use spray paint and sharpies to create these. They actually last a really long time.

Here are some of the math resources I shared during the webinar. You can check them out on TpT by clicking the covers. All math resources are on sale!

You can only snag this Tens and Ones freebie by watching the webinar {Click Here}.

Here are some Amazon affiliate links for my favorite manipulatives:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now, hop over to Anna at Simply Skilled in Second to enter her giveaway.

St. Patrick's Day Freebies and More

2017-03-13T20:42:00.002-04:00

Hi all! I am back with a St. Patrick's Day themed blog post to help you find ideas to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with your students.

I started making banners for my students this January and they are always a hit! I have this free St. Patrick's Day Banner for you in my TpT store! Click the image below to download.

I plan on displaying these along with my newly revamped "Wanted" posters. I take a photo of each student wearing a leprechaun hat and have them complete the poster or banner (two versions are included). The students had a lot of fun completing them.

Math is always better with food! This graphing activity utilizes Skittles (a peanut free candy).

Here is another graphing activity. It includes a leprechaun page topper.

Here is a free graphing activity for your students. It goes with Lucky Charms Cereal.

If you are looking for no-prep St. Patrick's Day literacy and math activities, check out this packet.

If you are looking for pure math activities, check out these math centers.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you found some resources to help you celebrate St. Patrick's Day in school.

Read Across America Ideas

2017-02-27T21:45:00.000-05:00

This week we are celebrating Dr. Seuss and Read Across America Week. In my classroom we read as many Dr. Seuss books as we can and we learn about Dr. Seuss himself. In past years, I was able to find affordable books and items at Target and Kohls. I threw together this quick post to let you know about my latest freebie and banner packets. I also wanted to share my Dr. Seuss Pinterest board which contains a ton more ideas.

Teacher authors are not permitted to create anything specifically for Dr. Seuss books but I am able to provide you with some generic reading themed resources.

The banner below can be used at any time of the year but I thought it would work well this week. The packet also contains banners to spell out "Read." These banners are perfect for PARP, Read Across America, or just anytime you want to celebrate reading.

You can click the image to check out the banner:

We love BrainPop Jr. and luckily my district subscribes to it. BrainPop has a great video on Dr. Seuss.

I made another free homework pass for you. Feel free to give it out on March 2nd!

I ordered this shirt from Amazon and I plan on wearing it March 2nd.

Here are few other great Amazon finds (affiliate links):

You can find many ideas and printables from other bloggers by checking out my Dr. Seuss themed Pinterest board:

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great time celebrating reading.

Last Minute Valentine's Day Printables and Freebies

2017-02-11T22:10:00.002-05:00

I don't know about you but I feel like Valentine's Day snuck up on me! We had two snow days last week and now I am behind on lessons. Plus, the 101st Day has been moved back two more days, too. It is going to be a crazy week.

Here are some ideas, freebies, and activities I will be using this week! Click on the images to download from TpT.

The above banner is a new freebie to my store. I would love to see what you do with it. Tag me on Instagram @EricaBohrer.

The cards above are an update of a REALLY old TpT file in my store. I hope you like them. I used the fabulous, Babbling Abby's fonts for all of these Valentine updates!

We are a candy free school and it can be hard to find things the kids really like as a gift. Homework passes have been my Go To gift for the kiddos. They love them. I have made them for almost every holiday so far. Be sure to follow my store for email alerts, as to when I post new ones!

Here are the math centers we have been doing and will continue to do this week:

Other units I will be utilizing:

Valentine Themed Books:

Amazon affiliate links:

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Valentine's Day.

My rescue dog, Harrison.

Winter Ideas and Freebies

2017-01-17T21:54:00.001-05:00

I don't know what type of winter you have been having but this pretty much sums up the weather here on Long Island:

We did have one snowy weekend and of course the kids were so very excited. I decided to make them these banners to complete in class. They are a freebie so, just click to download from TpT.

While the students were making these banners, they were so quiet and engaged. I was able to set up the centers for the day. I plan on making banners for every month. Comment below if you have ideas. I hung the banners on twine with mini-clothespins.

This week, we started our winter math centers. We reviewed "Make a Ten to Add," "Number Bonds with Missing Parts," "Take from Ten to Subtract," and more.

In science, we are just finishing up our States of Matter Unit.

Here are some more activities that we will be doing this month:

My kiddos also love these "graphtivities" or "craftivities." They love to see which choice "won." Since I make a different "graphtivity" for each month, the kids require little teacher support by this time in the year!

This penguin math craftivity is from my Penguin Packet, you can check it out {here} and you can check out a free version of it {here}.

Celebrating 2017 in the Classroom {Freebie Included!}

2016-12-31T14:06:00.003-05:00

When do you go back to school? We go back January 3rd. I'M NOT READY! I need to get all the December projects down when I get back and usher in the new year. I am sure you are planning on doing the same. I am here with a freebie and some resources to help you celebrate 2017 in your classroom and to make your transition back after break a smooth one.

The above and below image is an easy New Year craftivity and hallway display. It actually was one of the first products I posted on TpT, so if you already own it, redownload to get the update for free.

I like to read Squirrel's New Year's Resolution and then discuss resolutions. I also discuss what it means to "start on the right foot." We chart our resolutions on the Smartboard and the students write and illustrate their resolutions inside the card. After that, we trace our feet and add it to the outside of the card. I write the names on the feet in a fancy handwriting.

Included in the packet is a banner for you to print out and add above your display. I like to print the banners on bright colored card-stock and string with twine or ribbon.

Print and go activities require little prep; just what you need after holiday break. I utilize the printables below from my New Year Blackline Printables packet. Just click to check out the packet. It is on sale right now, along with my whole store.

Here is a FREEBIE for you! It is a 2017 pendant style banner. You should have each student complete one banner flag and decorate it. String the banners around the room or in the hall! Click the image to download from Google Drive.

Looking for Common Core New Year themed literacy and math centers? Check out this packet:

Also, check out this Graphtivity. My students love to share whether or not they stayed up to watch the ball drop. Personally, I am in bed!

Here are some read alouds for you to check out:

As always feel free to pin and I want to wish you a Happy New Year.

Gingerbread Classroom Ideas

2016-11-27T22:41:00.000-05:00

Gingerbread is my favorite December theme and a favorite of my students. They cannot wait to read a different version of the story and see if they follow the same pattern. I hope you find some ideas in this post to help you and your students get immersed in all things Gingerbread!

I just created the above Gingerbread Interactive Reading Notebook packet for Teachers Pay Teachers. You can check it out by clicking the image above! I am trying to focus more on using an Interactive Reading Notebook with my students, since the Science Notebooks are a hit.

After we read all our favorite gingerbread books, we have a gingerbread themed afternoon and parents come in. We make the glyph below and the gingerbread dough.

The gingerbread glyph activity above is included in my Gingerbread packet on Teachers Pay Teachers. Also included in this packet is the Gingerbread Ways to Make Ten Craft and so so much more!

We make Gingerbread Dough with parents using this free recipe below. Just click on the image to download from Google Drive.

After the kiddos make the gingerbread dough, they use cookie cutters to make fun shapes with the dough.

My students LOVE this Gingerbread Where I Took the First Bite Gingerbread Graphing Activity. I utilize Little Debbie Gingerbread Men Cookies for it. They are nice and big! They also work wonderfully for the "What would happen if the Gingerbread Man gets wet?" experiment (see the interactive notebook packet).

Here are a few of my favorite gingerbread themed read alouds. You can click through the affiliate links below to check them out on Amazon.

Here is another freebie for you! Here are some gingerbread themed holiday homework passes.

Thanks for stopping by! Feel free to pin!

Holiday Gift Guide

2016-11-24T20:57:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone! I am here with a holiday gift shopping guide. This post was super fun for me to write because well...I am addicted to online shopping. I hope you enjoy my gift picks and they help make your online holiday shopping easier!

For the teacher in your life:

Lunch Tote - Amazon
Amazon Gift Card
Dino Memo Holder - Amazon
Kate Spade Pencil Case - Nordstrom (on sale!)
Teacher Pay Teacher Gift Card
Kendra Scott Earrings - Nordstrom (on sale!)

Gifts for Her:

Kate Spade Necklace - Nordstrom (on sale!)
Toms Slippers - Nordstrom
Echo 'Touch' Stretch Gloves - Nordstrom (on sale!)
Kendra Scott Earrings - Nordstrom (on sale!)
Clinique Perfume Set - Nordstrom

Gifts for Him:

Uggs Slippers - Nordstrom
Kiehl's - Nordstrom
Cable Knit Cardigan - Target (on sale!)
The Walking Dead: Compendium One *I got this and the second compendium for my dad last year and he loved it!!

Gifts for Kids:

Gifts for your Classroom:

ABC Mouse : Right now you can get 50% Off ABCmouse.com Annual Subscriptions during their Black Friday Event! Now Only $45 from 11/21 through 11/28!
Bouncy Bands - My students LOVE these. Use coupon code: ERICA to get 20% off. These are life changing for fidgety students.
GoNoodle Plus! I have GoNoodle Plus for my classroom and the kids love it! If you want, you can apply for a grant for your whole school {HERE}.
Differentiated Instruction Cubes - Amazon These are great for centers.

I hope you found some holiday gift selections you could use. Please, note that this post contains affiliate links. As always, feel free to pin!

Tips to Help Fidgety Students

2016-11-20T16:12:00.003-05:00

We all have fidgety students and it is natural and normal. Kids need to move! Unfortunately, there are times where movement can be distracting or not appropriate. This post has ideas to help you and your fidgety students.

First, let me say that my classroom allows for lots of movement. We do literacy centers, math centers, and we transition to different areas of the room multiple times a day. If my students want to stand they can, my only rule is "push your chair in and stand behind it." I know I can't stand it if I have to sit still for long periods of time (except for Netflix binges; Gilmore Girls anyone?)! So my first tip for you is:

1. Build Movement into Your Schedule!

My favorite center activities involve searching, reading, and writing the room.

I have a few freebies in my TpT store for searching the room and you can check them out {HERE}, I also always included Search the Room in all my phonics based literacy center packets! You can even order a whole class set of clipboards from Amazon.

Buddy reading in the book nook also promotes movement. The students can lay down, sit criss-cross applesauce, or sit on a bench to read with their buddy.

Don't forget to schedule breaks into your day! GoNoodle is FREE and great for brain breaks.

2. Give Visual Reminders for Expected Listening Behaviors.

You can read more about Whole Body Listening {HERE}. *I might have white out the feet are down and still now that I have #3 below.

3. Let Them Fidget!

Yup, you can let them fidget. I have found the perfect fidget band for you, too! When I was in Orlando for the TpT convention, I was at the blogger meet up and we were giving away these things called Bouncy Bands. I had never heard of them before but I was intrigued. So I got ONE set of desk bands and I put them on a desk of a really fidgety kid. Guess what? We both loved them. I emailed Scott and asked if I could get a discount code for myself if I blogged about them and he suggested we offer the discount code to all my readers. So very generous of him! The code is super easy to remember: ERICA.

To order:

1. Click the image below.

2. For 20% off (this is a HUGE discount for them) use the coupon code: ERICA

Still not convinced? Check out the video below of me explaining how to use Bouncy Bands:

If you are looking for ways to fund Bouncy Bands for your classroom, why not write a Donors Choose grant. Check out this post on Bouncy Bands for tips on how to do just that!

I hope this post helped you.

Feel free to pin this post!

What I Wore: Fall

2016-11-11T21:56:00.001-05:00

Here are some of my looks from October and early November. It has still been warm here, so not exactly jacket weather but I am loving vests and cardigans.

My friend Deedee Wills took the photo above when we were in NYC for the weekend. My dress and cardigan are past season from the LOFT, but I have found some similar items below.

Hat - Old Navy (kids department)
Dress, past season LOFT - similar dress from Nordstrom
Cardigan, past season LOFT - similar cardigan from Nordstrom
Tory Burch Bag - Nordstrom
Frye Boots - Nordstrom
Leggings - LuLaRoe MariaMelissa

On a rainy day, I paired Hunter boots with a buffalo check plaid dress and a cozy sweater.

Dress - Shein
Sweater - LOFT
Hunter Boots - Nordstrom
Tights - Target

I was not sure if I was too old to wear these fringe boots, but I do love them! This is a weekend outfit.

Boots - Minnetonka, Nordstrom
Jeans - AG, Nordstrom
Lace Trimmed Thermal Shirt - Target
Vest - Old Navy

I wore this for a dress down day at school. I love how comfy my Frye boots are!

Plaid Shirt - Target
Vest - Ralph Lauren, Nordstrom
Jeans - AG, Nordstrom

Dress - Old Navy
Boots - Hunter, Nordstrom
Vest - Past Season J.Crew Outlet

I wore the outfit above to present on conference day. Most of the outfit is from a few years back. The LV bag was a splurge from many years ago (when I was not house poor). It is still my favorite bag.

Bag - LV
Jeans - AG, Nordstrom
Shirt - Lush, Nordstrom
Blazer - Two seasons past from H&M
Boots - Two seasons past from Nordstrom Rack
Necklace - Kendra Scott, Norstrom

This is what I am wearing to do report cards as I watch Gilmore Girls on Netflix.

You can see more of my outfits over at my Instagram account: EBTeacherStyle

*This post contains some affiliate links.

Have a great weekend!

Thanksgiving Thank You Notes Freebie

2016-11-05T21:38:00.004-04:00

Each year, I write a little individualized note to each student telling them why I am thankful for them. I created these freebies (a while back) for you to use with your students. Just click the images to download from TeachersPayTeachers.com.

If you are not sure what to say in your note, here are some quick ideas:

Your Teacher Is Thankful for You Because...

• you always follow the rules
• you are a great helper
• you are kind
• your drawings and cards make my day
• you are a hard worker
• you are funny
• you are polite
• you are a wonderful student
• you are an enthusiastic learner
• you raise your hand in class
• you add interesting thoughts to our discussions

Here are some of my favorite Thanksgiving books:

Affiliate links to my favorite books and fun things:

If you are looking for a few more Thanksgiving resources for first grade, check out these packets from my TpT store:

Thanks for reading! I would love to see pictures of you using my products, tag me on instagram @EricaBohrer!

Bats!

2016-10-15T21:12:00.003-04:00

In a week or so we will be starting our bat unit in first grade. I thought you might be doing the same with your first graders. I have a few bat themed units on TpT such as my Batty for Bats file and my Bats Interactive Science Notebook file, which are both perfect for first grade. I also have some freebie files for you in this post!

I pulled a few pages from the Batty for Bats packet to give you these freebies.

My full Batty for Bats file includes an interactive Bat Life Cycle.

The Roll and Write a Word Center is meant to be used with Kiddocubes. I love mine and I love them even more because a teacher friend of mine created them.

The file above is a preview from the packet below:

As with all our science units, we start with a schema chart.

Bats are perfect for introducing students to informational text features! We began last week with pumpkins and now the students run up to me every time they see a bold print word or a heading. They get so excited! Click here to go to my post and snag the cards below.

If you are looking for a purely science themed packet, check out my Bats Interactive Science Packet below:

Here some more photos from my interactive notebook packet.

Here are some of the read alouds I am utilizing for my bat unit.

I want to leave you with another freebie. I updated this file from way back when!

Click {HERE} to download!

I use this Word document to help the students brainstorm sentences for each letter. I left my examples in there to make it easier for you. You can click below to download the Word file.

Thanks for reading, I hope you found some resources to teach your students about bats!

1st Grade Pumpkin Ideas & a Freebie

2016-10-10T16:16:00.001-04:00

I just love teaching the students about pumpkins in the month of October. I hope this post gives you some ideas for teaching about pumpkins in first grade. Click the images to check out the TpT sources and my free resources through Google Drive.

Before we even start learning about pumpkins, we complete a schema chart. The students tell me what they think they know about pumpkins. I write the thinkings down on post-its. As we learn, we move the posts-its to "Yes, We Were Right" or "Oops, We Were Wrong." The students stop me and tell me when they learn something new about pumpkins, we place that on "Our New Learning." The "Wonderings" section would be for questions they have like "Are pumpkins a fruit or vegetable?"

Our pumpkin learning usually lasts for about two weeks. I like to give the kids quick morning jobs when they come in. The pumpkin sheet below is from my Pumpkins Packet on TpT.

Since this is a short school week, we will be doing pumpkin themed literacy centers this week instead of phonics based ones.

They love rolling words to see which word "won." The cubes pictured above is from KiddoCubes from TpT.

One of the centers we always do is Match it Rhyme it. This one is pumpkin themed.

Spin a Word has the students spinning a beginning sound and then an ending sound to build words. They record the words they spin on their recording sheets. The nonsense words go on the bottom of the sheet.

Another favorite of my students is Magnify Tiny Words. This one is pumpkin themed and they have to record the word under the picture the word describes.

The students also build pumpkin themed sentences during literacy center.

We like to do a whole class graphing activity after we taste test pumpkin bread. Pumpkin bread is my favorite and most of the students seem to agree.

The pumpkin unit ties in nicely to non-fiction features. You can snag the definitions for FREE at the end of the post!

After we do an activity where we label the parts of a nonfiction book, I have them break into groups and label the parts of other nonfiction books. To make the chart above, I scanned a nonfiction book and then laminated the pages. I am sorry but it would be illegal for me to share the images I used, you will just have to scan your own. You can whoever get the definitions by clicking above :)

If you are looking for solely for math centers, check out this packet:

I also sell an interactive science notebook which is specific to pumpkins. You can check out images from it below.

Here are the freebies! Click the image to be taken to google drive to download. Enjoy!

Here are few books on amazon that you can snag through my affiliate links:

Thanks for reading!

Setting Up a Classroom Photo Sharing Site

2016-10-08T18:07:00.000-04:00

Every school year I set up a secure classroom photo share website. I have always used Shutterfly. They have this super easy to set up template for classroom share sites. It is really so fast to set up and it is a closed, secure way to share photos and more.

Right now you are probably asking yourself but why should I set up a share site? Let me give you a list of the reasons I love using a share site:

Each month I take photos of my students for their scrapbooks. I share the photos on the Shutterfly site and order prints to be picked up at Target. It really is so easy.

Here are some samples of my Student Scrapbooks, it's not too late to start scrapbooks with your class:

Parents actually volunteer to pick up the monthly photos for the scrapbooks through the Shutterfly site!

How to set up a share site:

Sign up for a free Shutterfly account.
Scroll down once signed in, scroll down until you see "My Share Sites."
Click "Make a Free Site."

Choose "Classroom."
Pick your background colors.

Here is an example of what my site looks like:

The site is way more than just photos. You can add direct links to blog posts and upload files that you want to share with parents.

There is a calendar feature that you can add events to. You can select when you want reminders for the events emailed to the parents. I usually just use the default one which is two days before.

The upcoming events also show up as a list on the site.

This is my favorite feature of the Shutterfly site. You can create volunteer lists for events or donations needed. Parents put their name next to an item or to volunteer to come in to help for an event. The site automatically sends the parent a reminder email before the event or before the donation is needed. Instead of passing around a sign up list for class parties at Meet the Teacher Night, I post the party sign up list on the Shutterfly site.

Another tip I suggest is encouraging your grade level teammates to set one up, too. Then take some time together and go through and put in calendar dates and set up the volunteer forms. My team sat with three computers and me at a laptop, we put in our volunteer sign up lists and a few important dates. It was great to have more heads together to come up with ideas for the donation and class party lists.

Not ready to set up a Shutterfly site this year? Pin and save for your "To Do List" for next school year.

Fall Teacher Style

2016-09-30T22:30:00.001-04:00

I'm back with some fall teacher style for you. Here are some of my looks from this week that I posted on my fashion Instagram (@ebteacherstyle):

I snagged the dress (size xs) above at a deep discount during the Nordstrom anniversary sale. The shoes are adorable but I only lasted half the day teaching in them before I traded them for flip flops. I just put them back on for dismissal. The older I get the less I can tolerate wearing any sort of heel! Here are the links:

SheIn for the win on this dress (size small pictured).

Dress - SheIn
Necklace - Kendra Scott - Nordstrom
Earrings - Kendra Scott - Nordstrom
Shoes - Tory Burch - Discontinued
Mascara Base Coat - Urban Decay - Nordstrom
Mascara - Urban Decay - Nordstrom

This is my dress down Friday outfit. It was a rainy day. The sweater (size S) is actually from the men's department of Target! I bought it because it was accidentally placed in the ladies department and I did not figure it out until I scanned it on my cartwheel app and it came up as Merona Men's! I wish they had it in other colors. The Hunter boots are a few years old but still a favorite. The Prada bag was from before I was house poor and purchased in Italy. The tee is from Old Navy! The travel cup holds ice all day and is from Amazon. Links:

Here is my weekend look! I love long sweatshirts and this was another one that I got in the summer during the Nordstrom sale. It is a US size 2 and I would say fits true to size. I am so excited it is finally cool enough for me to wear it. The leggings are LuLaRoe and they are sooo soft.

Links:

I hope you found some style inspiration from this post. To see my closet room head over to my home decor blog:

Have a great weekend!
*This post contains some affiliate links.

Apples Theme in First Grade

2016-09-20T21:23:00.000-04:00

In first grade we are finishing up our apple themed learning. Here are photos of some of the activities we have done. I also have a freebie for your at the end of this post! Click on the photos to check out the packets the activities are from.

We start our learning with an apple schema chart. The photo above is from last year. This year has been struggle city for me to remember to take photos! We started a new reading series (Wonders) and I am still trying to figure out how to fit everything in. I have more pull-outs and more push-ins than I did last year. I am barely keeping afloat! It always seems to settle down about a month after school starts. Right now we are only two weeks in!

We do this whole class apple labeling activity from my friend, Rachelle, of What the Teacher Wants.

My students then draw their own diagrams in their interactive science notebooks.

We read many different apple themed books (I have the links posted at the end of this post) and then we complete an interactive science notebook activity.

We have an apple taste testing party and then graph our favorite kind of apple.

Our math centers also tie into our apple theme. Our math program is pretty dry (EngageNY), so I like to supplement with twice weekly math centers. I am lucky because our AIS Math specialist agrees to push in for these and conduct a guided math lesson with her students.

Now for the freebie! Here is a free Apple Themed Cootie Catcher.

Apple themed picture books & resources (affiliate links):

Thanks for stoping by!